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Jane Thynne was born in Venezuela and educated in London. She graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English Literature and joined the BBC as a journalist. She has also worked at The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent, as well as a broadcaster on Radio 4. She is married with three children and lives in London. Her previous novels are Patrimony and The Shell House.
Berlin, 1937. The city radiates glamour and ambition. But danger lurks in every shadow...Anna Hansen, a bride-to-be, is a pupil at one of Hitler's notorious Nazi Bride Schools, where young women are schooled on the art of being an SS officer's wife. Then, one night, she is brutally murdered and left in the gardens of the school. Her death will be hushed up and her life forgotten. Clara Vine is an actress at Berlin's famous Ufa studios by day and an undercover British Intelligence agent by night. She knew Anna and is disturbed by news of her death. She cannot understand why someone would want to cover it up, but she soon discovers that Anna's murder is linked to a far more ominous secret. With the newly abdicated Edward VIII and his wife Wallis set to arrive in Berlin, and the Mitford sisters dazzling on the social scene, Clara must work in the darkness to find the truth and send it back to London. It is a dangerous path she treads, and it will take everything she has to survive...
Berlin, 1933. Warning bells ring across Europe as Hitler comes to power Clara Vine is young and ambitious, and determined to succeed as an actress. A chance meeting at a party in London leads her to Berlin, to the famous Ufa studios and, unwittingly, into an uneasy circle of Nazi wives, among them Magda Goebbels. Then Clara meets Leo Quinn who is undercover, working for British intelligence. Leo sees in Clara the perfect recruit to spy on her new acquaintances, using her acting skills to win their confidence. But when Magda Goebbels reveals to Clara a dramatic secret and entrusts her with an extraordinary mission, Clara feels threatened, compromised and desperately caught between duty and love.
November 2010 Book of the Month. Despite its misleading cover, this is a charming story of society London in the 1920s, influenced by the discoveries in Egypt, particularly the famous tomb of Tutankhamen. Much of the narrative is interspersed with memories of that great find and the events surrounding it. It also touches on the horror of World War I and the ‘forgotten’ soldiers suffering from shell shock. A nice portrait of women’s lives at a time of social upheaval and a man’s life at a time of emotional disturbance. Comparison: Rebecca Dean, Judith Lennox, Mary Doria Russell.
TO SAVE HER OWN LIFE, WILL SHE SACRIFICE ANOTHER? June 1940: the first summer of the war. Berlin is being bombed and nightly blackouts suffocate the city. Then France falls and a shadow descends. A shadow has fallen over Clara Vine's own life, too. She is an Anglo-German woman in a country that hates England. Then she is summoned to meet the Propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, who has decided that Clara should adopt a new role - as his spy. Much as she dislikes the idea, Clara realises this might be the chance to find an escape route to England. But Goebbels has other ideas and soon Clara is drawn into a web that threatens to destroy her. As everything she holds dear is taken as ransom, she must fight to protect her family - and to survive... Solitaire delivers brilliantly engrossing wartime fiction for fans of Sadie Jones, Rosie Thomas and Irene Nemirovsky. Praise for Jane Thynne's Clara Vine novels: 'An absolute cracker of a read...fast-paced and gripping from the start' Sunday Times 'A thoroughly enjoyable read: fast-paced, atmospheric and genuinely suspenseful' Mail on Sunday 'Terrific' Elizabeth Buchan
June 1940: the first summer of the war. Berlin is being bombed and nightly blackouts suffocate the city. Then France falls and a shadow descends. A shadow has fallen over Clara Vine's own life, too. She is an Anglo-German woman in a country that hates England. Virulent anti-British propaganda is everywhere. Then she is summoned to meet the Propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels who has decided that Clara should adopt a new role - as his spy - and that she must go to Paris on a mission. Much as she dislikes the idea, Clara realises this might be the chance to find an escape route to England. But Goebbels has other ideas and soon Clara is drawn into a web that threatens to destroy her. As everything she holds dear is taken as ransom, she must fight to protect her family - and to survive...
Berlin, on the eve of war. As soldiers muster on the streets, spies circle in the shadows and Lotti Franke, a young woman from the Faith and Beauty Society - the elite finishing school for Nazi girls - is found in a shallow grave. Clara Vine, Anglo-German actress and spy, has been offered the most ambitious part she has ever played. And in her more secret life, British Intelligence has recalled her to London to probe reports that the Nazis and the Soviet Union are planning to make a pact. Then Clara hears of Lotti's death, and is determined to discover what happened to her. But what she uncovers is something of infinite value to the Nazi regime - the object that led to Lotti's murder - and now she herself is in danger. In a drama which traverses Berlin, Paris, Vienna and London, Clara Vine tries to keep her friends close, but finds her enemies are even closer.
Rich with political intrigue and authentic period details, this historical crime novel--the first of three--is perfect for fans of Roberta Rich, Charles Todd and Robert Harris. In Berlin, 1933, British actress Clara Vine finds herself dangerously involved with the British intelligence service.Clara Vine, a half-Jewish Anglo-German, uses her unique access to the upper echelons of pre-war Nazi society to spy for her native Britain. The novel richly fuses fact and fiction with a cast of real Nazis and their British admirers, such as the Mitford sisters and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Clara Vine, through her friendship with Eva Braun, finds herself enmeshed in a plot to assassinate Hitler. The setting of pre-war Germany is a treasure trove, and the irresistably fresh perspective of Nazi wives puts a new spin on an ever-fascinating era, fraught with glamour, political tension, tragedy and romance.
August, 1938. Paris is a city living on its nerves and the threat of war hangs heavy as a distant thunderstorm on a summer's day. British actress, Clara Vine, is in Paris to film her latest movie, having left Berlin under a cloud. Joseph Goebbels has become increasingly suspicious that Clara has been mingling in Berlin society and passing snippets of information to her contacts in the British Embassy. It would have been absurd, if it hadn't also been true... With war becoming increasingly likely, Clara is approached by an undercover British operative, Guy Hamilton, who asks her to perform a task for her country: to befriend Eva Braun, Hitler's girlfriend, and to pass on any information she can gather. Clara knows that to undertake this task is to put herself back in danger. But she also knows that soon she may have to do everything in her power to protect her country...
Tips for Meanies is an irreverent guide to thrift, the perfect present for the Meanies in your life that will equip them with new, versatile weapons for their armoury: - Discover the penny-pinching potential of everyday miracle products, from toothpaste and vinegar to barbecue briquettes - Find cunning ways to curb household shopping and energy bills - Avoid pricey trips to the chemist by channelling the healing powers of cheap and easy home remedies ... everything Meanies need to keep their household clean, green - and very mean.
Berlin, 1933 Warning bells ring across Europe as Hitler comes to power Clara Vine is young and ambitious, and determined to succeed as an actress. A chance meeting at a party in London leads her to Berlin, to the famous Ufa studios and, unwittingly, into an uneasy circle of Nazi wives, among them Magda Goebbels. Then Clara meets Leo Quinn who is undercover, working for British intelligence. Leo sees in Clara the perfect recruit to spy on her new acquaintances, using her acting skills to win their confidence. But when Magda Goebbels reveals to Clara a dramatic secret and entrusts her with an extraordinary mission, Clara feels threatened, compromised and desperately caught between duty and love.